Priority 10 from the Palliative and end of life care PSP

UNCERTAINTY: What are the best ways to assess and treat pain and discomfort in people at the end of life with communication and/or cognitive difficulties, perhaps due to motor neurone disease (MND), dementia, Parkinson’s disease, brain tumour (including glioblastoma) or head and neck cancer, for example? (JLA PSP Priority 10)

How to tell when someone in the very end stages of dementia is in pain and or distress. ~ How good is pain relief when the person suffering is no longer able to communicate verbally? ~ I realise pain can be subjective, but it would be worth looking to develop better pain tools for those who are unable to communicate (either due to level of consciousness, impact of drugs, or due to the condition such as MND or stroke).